"A ninja does not need a weapon, a ninja IS a weapon." - Storm Shadow in "Countdown for Zartan" (1985)

Hama never watched the cartoon, though. It just when you write an arrogant ninja character, some lines are obvious.

"We are not a rehab center for burn-out Joes." Of course not, Burn-Out won't debut until 2003.

Storm Shadow can thrown a shuriken with such accuracy and force it lodges in a pistol barrel. And since when would non-security personnel have weapons in the Pentagon? Oh, but they are generals? But they are also so super secret that no one is supposed to know about them in one of the most secure places in the nation.

Storm Shadow went all the way from NYC to Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri to steal a file, then to Washingon DC. In the process he burned down the fort's record center...or was this a real event Hama was referencing?

"This is blackmail!" Yes, it is. Great lessons for the kiddies. Breaking and entering and blackmail!

Cobra Condors in Sierra Gordo...because the IG's don't have a real bomber?

Page 10, Cobra Troopers...odd sight for 1990 and used by Darklon. Not their last appearance, though.

The bad guys remembered that you can just lob missiles at enemies.

Roadblock tells us of a real American hero, Audie Murphy. Who survived WW2 as a hero and went on to become movie star...but doesn't say that Murphy suffered PTSD, and later died in a plane crash.

Edit: Browser locked up before I could finish.

So Millville resistance story gets wrapped up in 4 pages. We never see the youths or Russ again. Lucky them, they could've been freightered or massacres.

Hawk doesn't believe his own men. Maybe look at some satellite photos or for reports of a huge helicopter fleet traveling across the USA?

"Mr. Squawker", Scarlett's sister gets the best insult to Stalker unintentionally. There's almost an amusing in-joke by mistake, as Action Force's Jammer was a repainted Stalker and a communications expert.

So many gaping mouths on page 19 that I thought Wildman had taken over the art for a page!

Storm Shadow says Scarlett's death is given. I guess he didn't know about her mutant healing powers.

Top of page 22, headless red-orange trooper is supposed to be...an Alley Viper?

Darklon goes all lumber jack on the rain forest. Because topical!

A blinded Roadblock carries a smaller, afflicted, former adversary on his back and I'd like to remind everyone again that Hama never saw the cartoon.

We learn that Storm Shadow's ninja powers include mind control. Good thing he's not a Cobra anymore, Dr. Mindbender would lose his job...oh, right...

Why not just go with him, Storm Shadow? You answer to no one.

Scarlett awakes from coma but without amnesia! What a missed opportunity!

Storm Shadow is an arrogant jerk this issue. He's being a jerk to other jerks, but those are the Juggler straw men we are used to. Millville story ends and the town won't be seen for some time. No big loss, except issue 100 made it seem like the start of something big. Sierra Gordo...'splosions and bullets and accidental cartoon references! Mixed bag of an issue.

How do the Jugglers book their conference rooms? Do you think one of them asks for the super secret room, for a super secret meeting? And then asks for Military Police to guard the room without looking at anyone who walks in?

Back in Sierra Gordo, MORTARS! Except, no Short Fuze. It seems unlikely that the Desert Fox would include a mortar, so while everyone jumped over from the BMP-1, someone must have thought "we still have time to grab a tube, bipod, baseplate, and crate of ammo." And then there's the minor problem that mortar bombs don't tend to destroy armored vehicles (even armored vehicles made of glass . . .). Wire guided missiles, on the other hand (which are normally standard with BMP-1s), would do pretty much exactly what Misha is doing.

As for the Desert Fox, didn't anyone ever stop to think that Sierra Gordo is not, in fact, a desert? Why are they even trying to hack a path jeep-wide? Surely they'd all be faster and stealthier on foot in that terrain. Or maybe the Joes should have all been riding LCV Recon Sleds!

Misha's not heavy - he must be Roadblock's brother!

While I'm not crazy about the Arashikage Mind Set, I really like the artwork of Snake Eyes free falling from the F117. Those are pretty cool.

First issue of G.I.Joe starring Snake-Eyes! The further we go through the run, the more I realize how much the issues from this era have been made in response to lagging sales. Huge cover blurbs, the return of CC, Snake-Eyes overkill (but he won't be around until 1991...?) and character deaths! SE absolutely hijacks the next couple of issues.

This is the first of two covers where the cover is also actually the first page of the story. Pretty cool.

Since this is now G.I.Joe featuring SS and SE, we won't be having room for nonsense like the Millville storyline. Hama can barely be arsed to finish it off at all. In fact, he becomes so traumatized by the story he'll refuse to even use Mutt and Spirit for a couple of years. Consequently, Hawk also dumps his own boys in a prison and refuses to even investigate Millville for years. He's well on his way to becoming a Juggler, or even CC. Bet he kicked Junkyard on the way back home. CCs post-comeback winning streak continues.

Letters page: Hama confirms Isherwood lives in Canada, making all my Sherlocking a wasted effort. Montreal must be so proud of this guy.

The Canada story wasn't in vain, as it did result in one letter from Canada! Mike Barbieri complains he's never actually seen a mounty in a red suit. I guess he has seen a dude firing hand-held miniguns?

"A ninja does not need a weapon, a ninja IS a weapon." - Storm Shadow in "Countdown for Zartan" (1985)

Classic line.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sean_C

Storm Shadow went all the way from NYC to Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri to steal a file, then to Washingon DC. In the process he burned down the fort's record center...or was this a real event Hama was referencing?

Wow, I didn't remember that bit. Stormy's pyromania means the dozens of Strawhackers lost somewhere will never be rescued!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sean_C

"Mr. Squawker", Scarlett's sister gets the best insult to Stalker unintentionally. There's almost an amusing in-joke by mistake, as Action Force's Jammer was a repainted Stalker and a communications expert.

Man, Squawker gets absolutely served by Siobhan. Hama will make her pay for that line by erasing her out of existence.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sean_C

Top of page 22, headless red-orange trooper is supposed to be...an Alley Viper?

I've been trying to figure that our for years! I'm thinking Techno-Viper, because of the tube going in the arm?

But who are the other guys on the panel below?

OMG, on the bottom panel... it's Tollbooth! Cobra has dug him out of the quicksand and used the BWS to get him to turn the rain forest into soccer pitches!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sean_C

We learn that Storm Shadow's ninja powers include mind control. Good thing he's not a Cobra anymore, Dr. Mindbender would lose his job...oh, right...

Did Bender ever actually brainwash anyone in the comic? He just built creeper vines and hydro sleds...

In honor of the mention of Audie (almost wrote Aubrey...) Murphy and blaring heavy metal, I can't resist picking the theme song for this issue: